The Milli Majlis (National Assembly) of the Republic of Azerbaijan has approved, in the first reading, amendments to the laws "On the suspension of inspections in the field of entrepreneurship" and "On environmental impact assessment" (EIA). The legislative changes aim to modernize regulatory oversight in the agricultural sector.
According to the Operative Information Center-OMM, the new legislation introduces an exception to the suspension of inspections for fishing activities. This measure is designed to allow for the rapid prevention of illegal fishing and quota violations, ensuring continuous oversight based on the "from farm to fork" principle to safeguard food security in Azerbaijan.
The legislation replaces subjective terms such as "specialized" and "large-scale" with precise quantitative criteria aligned with international standards from organizations like the FAO, the World Bank, and the European Union. For livestock enterprises, the threshold is set at 1,000 head of cattle equivalent; for poultry, 40,000 chickens equivalent; and for aquaculture, an annual production volume of 500 tons. Agroparks will only be subject to the EIA process if they meet or exceed these specific thresholds.
These reforms are expected to significantly reduce the administrative and financial burden on small and medium-sized farmers by exempting them from the costly and time-consuming EIA documentation process. By focusing state control resources on larger industrial complexes that pose higher environmental risks, the government aims to enhance the investment attractiveness of the agricultural sector in Azerbaijan.
